Boys Basketball:
To say that Kaleb Smith was at his best on the sport’s biggest stage would be an understatement.
The Damien senior had a team-high 23 points in Friday’s 65-57 victory over Clovis North in the CIF State Division 1 championship game.
Smith hit 9-of-11 shots from the field, including two 3-pointers, and went 3-of-4 from the free throw line.
He finished with five rebounds and an assist and steal inside Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center.
Damien led by 11 points at the break and by 17 as they headed into the final eight minutes.
The Spartans had a 35-27 advantage in rebounds and a massive 44-20 disparity in points in the paint.
Spivey Word chipped in with 17 points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists.
RJ Smith contributed 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Connor Amundsen led all scorers with 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting, and four assists.
Jaylen Bryant finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists in the loss.
Jimmy Oladokun didn’t have a great shooting night, but he chipped in with five points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Bradley Xie had five points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists.
Box Score:
D: 22-11-20-12-(65)
CN: 12-10-14-21-(57)
Damien team stats: FG (26-51), FT (9-15), 3-Pointers (4-10)
Clovis North team stats: FG (22-53), FT (8-13), 3-Pointers (5-14)
Damien scoring: Kaleb Smith 23, Spivey Word 17, RJ Smith 15, Bradley Xie 5, Jimmy Oladokun 5
Clovis North scoring: Connor Amundsen 25, Jaylen Bryant 10, Jordan Espinoza 10, Niko Jones 6, Christian Calvillo 5, Nasr Chaudnary 1
Records: Damien (32-4); Clovis North (22-12)
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